Geraldo Rivera has been in Baltimore covering the Freddy Gray protests for Fox News and, predictably, the people of Baltimore don't like him very much. His Tuesday night broadcast was interrupted by protesters upset about the network's coverage of the riots. And when Fox's cameras weren't rolling, a protester told Rivera to stop characterizing protesters as thugs.
WBAL asked Rivera about the protester's reaction to his coverage, and his answer further proves he just doesn't get it. He seems to think he was interrupted because he's a star, when in reality he was interrupted because him and his network grossly mischaracterize the protests. In other words, it's what he does with his star status that upsets people.
"I can't be a reporter because my mere presence incites some people because they know they're going to get attention?" he said.
Let's just make this as simple as possible. Yes, Geraldo, you can be a reporter. And you can be present. But you can't be an irresponsible reporter and expect people not to react. The fact that a protester confronted you while your network's cameras were off and told all the surrounding people to stop filming proves this isn't about attention. This is about using journalism to accurately inform the people and not to spread your network's bullshit narrative.
